Alabama settles Gulf State Park lawsuit

After nearly three years in court, the Gulf Restoration Network (GRN) has settled the lawsuit it filed against the state of Alabama over its use of $58 million of BP monies to rebuild a hotel and “convention center” at the Gulf State Park in Baldwin County.

Specifically, the lawsuit was filed against trustees representing a number of federal departments tasked with approving early restoration projects for Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) funds after the 2010 oil spill.

In their most recent decision, the trustees allocated $58.5 million to the Gulf State Park Enhancement Project. Of that, around $48 million was for the construction of a lodge and conference center — leaving just $10 million for the construction of public access amenities.

The project was temporarily halted last year after U.S. District Judge Charles Butler found its early implementation phases failed to follow laws governing the use of NRDA funding, which is paid by the responsible entity in the immediate wake of an environmental disaster.

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